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I own a bike review site (Bike198.com), so I am unloading and loading bikes at least 4 times a week. Coming from an Avalanche with a hitch rack left a new need for a racking solution on the 2011 WRX that does not have a hitch option as of right now.

I needed a rack that had the following specs:

You don't have to remove the front wheel (4 different axle sizes in my garage right now)

Provided clearance for the hatch to fully open

Integrated locking

Looked seemless with the car (no huge overhang on the front of the rack)

After a ton of measuring and looking at every single picture of a WRX with a roof rack on it, I think I have my perfect solution.

Are there any racks that don't touch the paint of the car? My last rack was from Subaru of UK and the rack secured with clips into the rain rails. Great solution because nothing ever touched the paint. Load maximum was around 200 lbs, but that's plenty for a bike or 10.

Are there any racks that don't touch the paint of the car? My last rack was from Subaru of UK and the rack secured with clips into the rain rails. Great solution because nothing ever touched the paint. Load maximum was around 200 lbs, but that's plenty for a bike or 10.

The Thule mounts have a smaller footprint.

I claybarred and waxed before setting the rack. That should eliminate any hairline scratching issues when installed to the proper torque setting. If you want some extra protection, you can apply 3M film on the paint where the mounts contact.

The Highroller is Yakima's most expensive upright and only gains you 5lb more carrying weight than the Frontloader with all the same features and no need for universal mounts. I went with two yakima frontloaders instead: http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima...rack-2103.html

This is also for the factory cross-bars.

I think ORS racks has the best online prices for racks and you can watch videos for all the rack types.

Here is my setup:

Either way you can't go wrong with an upright setup, no wheel storage and the rack doesn't touch the frame. Cost for mine was:

The Highroller is Yakima's most expensive upright and only gains you 5lb more carrying weight than the Frontloader with all the same features and no need for universal mounts. I went with two yakima frontloaders instead: http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima...rack-2103.html

This is also for the factory cross-bars.

Here is my setup:

2 Front loaders: 288

Coming back to this thread....

I'm finally ready to buy a rack. I'm looking at this Yakima setup. I don't have factory crossbars, so I would be getting the complete Yakima kit. I'm still undecided between the Front Loader and the High Roller. I understand the Front Loader is a bit cheaper, but is made to fit OEM crossbars (not an issue for me). This is going to be for road bikes only, so I don't think I need the extra capacity of the High Roller, and it would be really nice to save some money.

Well, I ended up getting the same rack setup as the OP, but I decided to try the Front Loader. I only bought one and figured I'd try it out before buying the second one. So far, so good. Install of everything went quite very smooth. Front loader appears very solid. Easy to use, and the bike seems to be held securely in place. I took it onto the freeway and I couldn't tell the bike was even there. I'll be picking up another Front Loader tomorrow.

The only reason I didn't go with the Frontloader is because I have to rack heavy, big tire DH bikes from time to time. Big 29ers (2.4 tires) have a hard time in that one as well. If you are just loading up XC to AM 26" rigs and road bikes, the Frontloader is a great option.

I ended up having to move the racks further out to the edges of the bars to get more clearance for the bars and now there is even more space between the racks and the hatch. It has been an incredible setup.

Looks awesome, Xluben.
How do you like the fairing, do you feel it reduces wind noise significantly? It's next on my list, mine howls at highway speeds.

I never tried it without the fairing, so maybe I don't have a good reference, but I've driven with the rack twice now, and I honestly cannot even tell that it's on there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsutton1223

The only reason I didn't go with the Frontloader is because I have to rack heavy, big tire DH bikes from time to time. Big 29ers (2.4 tires) have a hard time in that one as well. If you are just loading up XC to AM 26" rigs and road bikes, the Frontloader is a great option.

I ended up having to move the racks further out to the edges of the bars to get more clearance for the bars and now there is even more space between the racks and the hatch. It has been an incredible setup.

I think the newer FrontLoaders (after the recall) do a bit better with the large bikes, but may they're still not as good as the HighRoller. I'm only going to be putting road bikes on here, and I like it a lot.

I mounted the landing pads onto for more forward of the two holes on the front mounting point. This ended up giving me about a 1/2" of clearance with the hatch open. Looks perfect!

Another thing I noticed was that the little chain they include to lock the bike onto the rack, isn't mounted very well. When I have it stowed (no bike), the chain sits in a little spot on the rack. One end is held in place fine, but the end with the locking core is pretty loose. It fell out today when I was driving. The chain itself is still held in place (not going to fall off), but the locking core end is just flopping around. Any suggestions?

Another thing I noticed was that the little chain they include to lock the bike onto the rack, isn't mounted very well. When I have it stowed (no bike), the chain sits in a little spot on the rack. One end is held in place fine, but the end with the locking core is pretty loose. It fell out today when I was driving. The chain itself is still held in place (not going to fall off), but the locking core end is just flopping around. Any suggestions?

It appears that mine keeps a much shorter loop when just in storage mode. Have you tried just locking it to the crossbar when you aren't using it? That should keep it up and out of the way.

I picked up my car on the 28th with the Subaru rack installed. I only have a one bike set up right now, fork mount, but it is made by Yakima for Subaru. Seems like it is pretty decent. Not a great photo below.

looking to get rack for my 2011 for skis only, is it worth spending more for a yakima or thule compared to the subaru one which seems a lot less $$

I did a lot of research before I bought my Yakima rack, & mine fits what I need it to do.

From what I've read, I wouldn't hesitate to get the Subaru ski rack. I bought the Yakima because I wanted the extra strength, & to be able to mount a fairing to the rack. My bike is light but my g/f bike is a beast

The Subaru bars are oval, so a Yakima or Thule fairing won't fit without modifications (from what I've read). If you do some research you will find there is a way to attach a fairing to it.

Hope I've helped a little, just my opinion. Hopefully someone with chime in that actually owns that rack.